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The podcast episode discusses the importance of healthy eating and movement in early childhood. The operations manager of seven nurseries in Zurich, Helen Falcon, shares her goals of providing diverse, healthy meals without pressuring the children. She also discusses the challenges of catering to a multicultural clientele and meeting various dietary preferences and restrictions. The nurseries incorporate nutritional education into daily routines, using a food pyramid to teach children about different food groups. Positive changes observed include children becoming more familiar with healthy foods and being open to trying new things. The episode also highlights the rising rates of childhood obesity and the negative effects of processed foods on children's health and cognitive function. It emphasizes that healthy eating and regular physical activity are crucial for children's growth, development, and overall well-being. The role of teachers and parents in promoting movement and being pos Welcome to the Shelf and Shelter Stories Jump Together Podcast, where we explore the journey towards shelter and future for our children and communities. I'm Claudia White. Your host. Today's episode focuses on the vital role of healthy eating in early childhood and how we can foster these habits right here in Zurich, Switzerland. Joining us are two guests, Helen Falcon, the operations manager of seven nurseries in Zurich, and Giovanna Luciano, a primary care instructor who emphasizes movement in her classes. Let's dive in. Let's hear some insights on strategies and methods regarding early childhood nutrition applied in Swiss nurseries. Our guests, Helen Falcon, operations manager of seven child care centers in Zurich, will share with us some valuable knowledge and observations. Helen, as someone who manages seven nurseries in Zurich, what are your main goals regarding nutrition in the early childhood setting? Our main goal is that the children in our day care center can enjoy meals at the pressure and not under any pressure. The children should be able to eat a diverse, healthy, seasonal, and regional meal. They should decide independently what they want to eat and listen to their feeling of fullness. You strive to promote healthy eating habits among young children and their families. What are the challenges that you face? The biggest challenge I see is that we have a multicultural clientele and many children are not used to our kitchen. The children need a lot of time to get used to how we prepare meals. Experience has shown that children have to try a food at least 20 times before they can decide whether they like this food or not. Some parents also have high expectations about what their children should eat with us. Religion and origin play also a big role here. For example, parents want to feed their children vegetarian or without pork, just chicken and fish and much more. This is not a problem and we try to fulfill all these wishes. We take great care to ensure that children who have any allergies or are intolerant receive food prepared especially for the children. Can you share how nutritional education is incorporated into the daily routines of the nursery you manage? Since we work with a lot of rituals in our day care center in everyday life, nutrition is one of them. In the morning when we plan the day with the children, all meals like breakfast, snacks in the morning, lunch and snacks in the afternoon are discussed. The children know the food pyramid and for this they know exactly where to assign which food. We have printed small photos of all the food we offer and they can put the photos at the pyramid. Here too it's very important for us that this all happens without pressure and it should be fun for the children. Could you share with us what the healthy eating food pyramid emphasizes? Yes, the pyramid looks like the same pyramid as in Egypt. This pyramid has six levels in different colors. The first, the top level is dark blue and there we add sugar, sweets, stuff like that. The second level is yellow and it's fat like oil, butter, something. The third level is red. There are all proteins like fish, meat, eggs. The third is brown. There are the carbohydrates like bread, pasta. The fifth level is green. There are all vegetables, fruits, more healthy. The sixth level is light blue. It's also very important for the children to drink water with tea without sugar. It's also very important for the children to drink a lot. You say you love to promote healthy eating habits among children and their families. What positive changes have you observed in children's health and behavior as a result of these initiatives? The children are very familiar with the different foods. They know what is healthy and what is not so healthy. We also notice that some children are more open to different foods they don't know. They try more and can really good decide what they like. The meals are a pleasure for the children. In our Bay County interest, children are allowed to cook themselves. This makes the children happy and strengthens their independence. The children also have a great joy when they can have prepared snacks for all of them. The World Obesity Atlas 2023 report states that nearly 400 million children around the world will be living with obesity by 2035. In Europe, according to a report from the World Health Organization, approximately one in three children of primary school age are either overweight or obese, and the figure is projected to rise further. In fact, most studies show that one of the reasons for these high levels of obesity among children and adolescents is the fact that traditional foods have been replaced by ultra-processed foods, which are associated with serious health problems such as legal health issues, metabolic disorders, heart disease, or diabetes. Additionally, high processed foods may have a negative impact on cognitive function and memory in children. These statistics and concerns remind us that healthy eating is essential to children's growth and development, and nutrition in the early years impacts not only physical health, but also cognitive and emotional well-being. Children who eat well and do daily physical activities are more likely to succeed academically and maintain healthy habits into adulthood. Healthy eating habits are crucial for children's development, but we should not forget the importance of movement as well. Engaging in regular exercise doesn't only help the body, but fosters social skills, teamwork, and resilience. Our second guest today shared some tips in her capacity as a dance teacher on how to successfully incorporate physical activities in children's daily routines and emphasized the essential role of teachers and parents in motivating children to move. I strongly believe that movement should be integrated in daily life activities. I mean, for example, schools should offer an environment which allows children to move during the lessons. This could be hazing sport equipment, ladders, or climbing towers, or, for example, balance boards in the classroom, so that children have the opportunity to move during the day. These daily movement skills would bring more relaxation, more trust, better communication, creativity, and more. The same should happen at home. Parents should be role models. They should be more active and aware of movement. And if in the living room, in the kitchen, and so on, these constant and easy-to-access activities could help children to connect more, to develop empathy and trust and motivate them to take care of their bodies and others. Thank you for joining me today. Next week, we will dive into another exciting topic, so be sure to tune in. Until next time.